I’m excited out of my mind today to be hosting a Q&A with the famous author of Children of Blood and Bone!

Am. just. STARSTRUCK RIGHT NOW. Tomi Adeyemi’s debut has basically devoured the world and the hype is real, peoples. I’m super pleased I had a chance to read an ARC and chat with the author.

We also have a review and giveaway at the end of this post!!

Feel free to flail awkwardly with me, because you better believe that’s what I’m doing.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia for organising the opportunity for this fabulous feature!

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.

Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and creative-writing coach based in San Diego, California. After graduating from Harvard University with an honours degree in English Literature, she studied West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. When not writing novels or watching Scandal, Tomi teaches and blogs about creative writing at tomiadeyemi.com, named one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.

@PaperFury:Children of Blood and Bone has such amazing world building! What was your favourite setting to create and write?

@TomiAdeyemi:Definitely the dreamscape! This is a setting that’s actually been in my head for a while. It’s popped up in earlier stories, but it never quite worked until Children of Blood and Bone!

It holds some of my favourite scenes in the book!

@PaperFury: Ah I loved those scenes! I’m so glad they worked for this book! How did Children of Blood and Bone get its title? Did it go through many changes?

@TomiAdeyemi: “Children of Blood and Bone” is actually a phrase from one of my favourite novels and inspirations, Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older.

In a scene reminiscent of Hamlet, 3 spirits are talking to the protagonist and say something along the lines of “you children of blood and bone” and I instantly knew that was the title. It was almost changed, but it ended up staying and I’m so happy that it did!

@PaperFury: I’m ridiculously happy it stayed too (it’s such a captivating title tbh). Can you tell us a little bit about your debut’s journey to getting published?

@TomiAdeyemi: It’s been a wild ride! I’ve been writing my whole life and working on books with the hope of getting published for 5 to 6 years. The first book I tried to get published took me 4 years, but didn’t go anywhere. However, I learned everything that I needed to learn about writing and publishing with that book, so it will actually always be the most valuable book I ever wrote for everything that it taught me!

With this book, the process was fast, but it was intense. The final product is almost 600 pages that were rewritten more times than I can count over an intense 18-month period, so it was a labor, but I am very proud of the final product.

@PaperFury: I love your attitude about the book that never got published…so so much truth there. (Also much relate because my first book did the same! But we learn and go forward, yes?!) Do you have a specific writing space or do you write anywhere/anytime?

@TomiAdeyemi: With Children of Blood and Bone, I used to write a lot at my desk, but had to cut that out because it’s not the most effective when you have to also do things in the daytime.

Now I’m trying to write book 2 4-5 days a week and focus on putting book 1 into the world on one day a week. It doesn’t always end up so nice and neat, but having guidelines helps me stay balanced and efficient.

@PaperFury: Your level of organisation is inspiring haha. Now what’s the toughest vs most fun parts of the writing process for you?

@TomiAdeyemi: The most fun part is outlining. It’s pure inspiration and imagination without any of the hard work of getting it on the page.

The hardest part is revision. It’s the most rewarding part, but I’m the type of person who cares about every single word on the page and when you have 140,000 words in your book, it’s a process that can drive you insane!

@PaperFury: I couldn’t agree more about revising…so frustrating and satisfying at the same time. And lastly! Has any chocolate been harmed in the making of your novel?!

@TomiAdeyemi: Lol! Not chocolate, but jelly beans and popcorn and grapes and beef jerky! Also lots of pizza!

@PaperFury: I love it! Thanks so so much for coming, Tomi, and so excited to cheer you on as your amazing book releases this month and takes the world by storm!

Children of Blood And Bone is such a rich and excellently built fantasy world my opinion is just: WOW. I also feel like this book is most definitely mega-hyped but worth it, ohhh so worth it. The writing is stunning, but we just need to all sit down in a bucket and admire the world building. And the characters go from headstrong-little-stubborn-darlings-making-bad-decisions to headstrong-little-stubborn-darlings-making-bad-decisions-BUT-WITH-MAGIC-AND-EMOTIONS which is excellent development.

So the world building was definitely masterpiece here for me. I always get so disgruntled when fantasies presented half-baked worlds. NOT HERE. I also think it did a great job building the world as you go instead of info-dumps. Although there are a lot of characters (and I mean, like MORE THAN 3 which is intense omg hold me) so it took me a long time to get everyone straight. But this is coming from someone who also can’t remember their siblings names. So.

It actually has 3 POVs! We have Zélie, Amari, and Inan…and then are FABULOUS. Zélie is the headstrong magical child who was my absolute FAVOURITE for her character development, badassery, and raw emotion. Amari is the naive princess who ends up being super fierce. (Also she and Zélie fight a LOT because they’re enemies at the beginning…BUT THEN THEIR FRIENDSHIP IS SO POWERFUL AND EXCELLENT.) And Inan is the misguided prince who spends the whole book being an ass but then I felt bad for him. SO. INAN.

And the plot is all action and finding magical objects and running for your freaking life. As it should be in a fantasy. Basically these troubled threesome (along with Zélie’s brother Tzain) are trying to bring magic back but they’re also messy teens who make mistakes and I loved watching them grow!

epic female friendship that is actual goals

the ending was an absolute riot of a ride

mY heART GOT LOST WOW

character development is A+

lots of emphasis on glorious hair which is what I’m here for

no one is ever what they seem

slightly absolute dire need for the next book has hit me

OPEN TO AUSTRALIA ONLY.

Also, super fun, but there’s a hashtag called #NowWeRise celebrating Children of Blood and Bone and if you do something creative to go towards it, you can get a ton of extra points for the giveaway! The format of your post is up to you – initial ideas include a visual image, a video, an original story of your creation, or a personal story from your life that connects to the theme. Additional ideas include lists, fancasting, playlists, moodboards, or recipes. Let your imagination go wild!

since COBAB is such a hyped book…tell me a super famous book where the hype paid off for you?! and are excited for this one?! tell me: if you had magic powers…what would they be?! (good luck to the aussies for the giveaway too)

Reign The Earth had a lot of fantastic stuff going down, like elemental magic, sneaky uprisings, and sibling relationships!

What it didn’t have going for it was me ultimate love…ahem. But it was still a solidly good book! (If not really YA?!) And the author’s note said she’d been writing and rewriting this book for about 15 years, which is downright amazing. Never give up, okay, writers?! Someday YOU TOO could have your dream published and have me reviewing it and holding it with my terrifyingly disjointed them.

(I don’t know what’s going on with my hands either.)

LET’S MOVE FORWARD.

+ My very very biggest point is: It feels like an adult book.I personally feel like the heart of YA is about teens discovering themselves and the world, learning to be independent, “coming of age” and still being a messy kid. Plus acne and all that fun stuff. Whereas, Reign The Earth’s main plot points are (a) abusive marriages, (b) pregnancy, (c) politics, and (d) really bad fish???? I’m not saying teens don’t get married/have babies, but the book’s slow methodical style plus just the content felt…not YA. This isn’t so much a “fault” of the book either! I’m just pointing it out and feeling disgruntled because I don’t wanna read about adults adulting.

+ The setting was a delicious treat of magic, deserts, and slightly mysterious lakes. The attention to detail for the world was marvellous, and I felt really immersed in the made-up cultures. I definitely feel like there are Persian influences with Shalia being from a desert clan. And it incorporated world building through food and dress too?! #nice Rich and dynamic!

+ There’s plenty of elemental magic to knock your socks off. The book begins with Shalia being about as magical as a frypan. But THEN, surprise (!) she discovers her gift is to control the earth. This could be a spoiler, but also: THE TITLE SAYS IT SO I’M GUILTLESS HERE. Then Shalia goes off to an arranged marriage for peace between her people and his, and her husband-will-totally-kill-her-if-he-finds-she-is-magical. So that’s nice. Supportive. Anyway Shalia is a Soft Cinnamon™ and her power is strongest when she loves something. So if I had it and you left me in a cakery…wow. The earth would basically be mine.

+ So it is dark, because of afore mentioned adult themes. Although not as dark as I expected?? No!! Shh!! I’m normal and there’s nothing to worry about here!! Anyway it (heavily) features the abusive relationship of Shalia and Calix. Basically he’s an alpha male king and horrible. He is the villain though. There’s also a bit o’ torture, death, murder, limbs being blown off, rape in marriage, etc. etc. It’s not a sugary story. I think everything was handled really well and nothing was graphic, but it was all uncomfortable and unfun. (Obviously! It was meant to be!)

+ The characters were complex and interesting!Calix = a horrific tOADSTOOL and I hated him so muchShalia = soft and pure but spent the whole book being a damsel so that was tiringGalen = look I read a book with a mermaid named Galen in it and I couldn’t get rid of that image BUT THAT ASIDE he was a great (also Calix’s brother and he’s nice to Shalia so you just knooooow where the real romance is starting)Zeph = some random guard who was also freaking hilariousKai = sneaky brother of Shalia and I like!2 billion other characters = I DON’T EVEN KNOW. I’M NOT GOOD WITH SO MANY PEOPLE

+ It was very slow though and…honestly? I wasn’t invested.Marriage…can’t relate, my man. This is just a me thing and I know many have adored it as is! But I just couldn’t connect to the characters (Shalia was very passive, but not WEAK. She just didn’t direct her story and it took her till like 70% in to start having a voice. So A+ character development. But I’m tired??) And it was SO FREAKING SEXIST…and I just don’t understand why fantasy worlds can be chill with magical elemental powers but not equality. And so many scenes were just getting dressed for dinner and I just…#napping.

Reign The Earth is full of epic earthy explosions and magic and mayhem, and it unpacks poisonous relationships and oppression. Lots of powerful things going down here! I just have the attention span of a refried gnat, so it was too slowly paced for me.

THANK YOU TO BLOOMSBURY FOR THE ARC. Reign The Earth by A.C. Gaughen was published January 2018.

★★★☆☆

Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands. But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae. This intense, richly drawn high-fantasy by the author of Scarletwill hold readers spellbound.

have you ever read a book and thought it was pitched in the wrong age category?! and do you like fantasies with non-Western settings?? what do you think of Reign the Earth and is it on your TBR?!

Nothing like a little prison break to get the kids excited for reading.

I thought Prisoner Of Ice And Snow was an altogether rather adorable middle-grade novel, if a bit slow, and 12-year-old me would’ve been so into this. Because 12-year-old me was all about prisons and death and doing archery in the backyard with siblings as moving targets. HAHHAH JUST KIDDING FOR THAT LAST BIT. They were stationary targets. *

It basically has (a) a Russian fantasy-esque setting, (b) epic sisters fighting to save each other, and (c) PRISON BREAKS OF DOOM.

Also shout out to me who took a confused moment to realise this is not the same as Prisoner of Night and Fog. 10/10 recommend we figure out better prisons because these chaps keep getting out.

* JOKING. I still have all 5 siblings alive. I swear. We don’t talk about the 6th…

Since I’m a mainly YA blog…it’s worth noting this is a middle-grade novel. Just so you go in with the right expectations. Admittedly MG is not my favourite to read. I GOT OLD, OK. Although I do still adore Lemony Snicket and Rick Riordan, but unless MG is hilarious…I get kind of bored.

Um, so…this is not hilarious. A carton of frozen faberge eggs would probably crack more jokes. <– CRACK??? GET IT??? Omg someone please show me out. I get that we have the high stakes of prisons and certain terminal doom, but some humour would’ve saved saved the bacon. (OK wow this whole section sounds like a breakfast menu, let’s move on.)

I really loved the Russian-esque fantasy setting though! I’m a complete sucker for anything that sings remotely of Russia, as is where my favourite Grisha books hail from. It reminded me of The Wolf Wilder except in that book they saved the wolves, whereas in Prisoner of Ice And Snow, they shot them because they tried to eat the prince. Odd why they kept wanting to save him. The prince seemed a bit of a dehydrated carrot to me, but let’s go with this. The setting was great and full of ice…and SNOW. BET you didn’t know that was coming. I definitely felt the chills and icy hollers.

The characters also didn’t really excite me, but they were TOUGH LITTLE COOKIES! Frozen cookies? They were really not doing well keeping warm is all I’m saying. I did admire them, especially how Valour put together a whole PLAN to get her sister out of jail. I am a little old and gnarly though, so perhaps it was just that hte book was too lowkey for me personally. But Valour’s personality was: Bravery and Honour™ which is about as dull as it sounds. And Sasha was Sweet And Pure™. She didn’t actually have a whole lot of active page time, so I’m guessing this from the way Valour referred to her. I just am generally excited about these types of personalities, and the trope of Pure and Perfect Child Is Locked Up For Evil She Didn’t Commit™. I would rather read about evil. Like Sauron’s childhood? Let’s get a book on that. Anyway. I do think they were admirable, brave, and valiant little frozen peas.And I rooted for them to get out and be clever!

They also totally had this whole Anna/Elsa thing going on. So basically this book IS Frozen. Literally and figuratively. Which was super awesome because JUDGE ME FOR BEING A CLICHE but I freaking love that movie. I often tell my family I’m going to just let it go and then blast myself a new castle on a hill and tell them never never to visit. Elsa needed some introvert time, OK. Stop visiting her.

Unfortunately life in prison is kind of boring. Who knew. I enjoyed Valour’s cleverness and the unfurling of her escape plans. But the scenes of her doing work detail in the kitchens was less than riveting. I think the book could’ve been a teeny tiny bit faster paced.

But I am still ENDLESSLY PLEASED to see little 13-year-old heroines being epic with lock picks and valiant loves for their sisters. Because frankly that’s what I wanted to be at 13 too. Except for the “go to the ends of the world to save your sister” part because I have 4 sisters and if one goes down, well, fine. There are others. I honestly do love books about cleverness, prison breaks, evil conspiracies, and a bit of frozen bread for dinner. This is how we need to raise the future generation! Locks cannot hold us! Ice cannot keep ups! Kill all the princes! Sisters will be saved and mysteries solved! And shout out to books for remembering you can have adventures without romance. Wow, MG, you’re doing great.

THANKS TO BLOOMSBURY FOR THE REVIEW-COPY! Prison of Ice and Snow by Ruth Lauren is published October 2017!

★★★☆☆

Valor is under arrest for the attempted murder of the crown prince. Her parents are outcasts from the royal court, her sister is banished for theft of a national treasure, and now Valor has been sentenced to life imprisonment at Demidova, a prison built from stone and ice. But that’s exactly where she wants to be. For her sister was sent there too, and Valor embarks on an epic plan to break her out from the inside. No one has escaped from Demidova in over three hundred years, and if Valor is to succeed she will need all of her strength, courage and love. If the plan fails, she faces a chilling fate worse than any prison … An unforgettable story of sisterhood, valour and rebellion, Prisoner of Ice and Snow will fire you up and melt your heart all at once. Perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell, Piers Torday and Cathryn Constable.

how do you feel about prison break stories??? how would YOU do breaking out of a prison? do you read much MG? and have you heard of Prison of Ice and Snow? read it? THOUGHTS???

Song of the Current absolutely blew me out of the water with its levels of epic.

Also please pause for a moment because I just made a PUN. HA! Because it’s a book about smugglers, pirates, ships and rivers, get it? Yes you get it. You’re clever.

I’m always really keen to find delicious pirate-esque books and this one doesn’t disappoint!I mean, I need to train for my future career of course! Haha…Just, um, kidding. This book features a lot of smuggling, ships, river gods, aesthetically pleasing settings, badass female captains, personified rivers and seas, and the tiniest squish mention of a water drakon — and so many delicious fish fingers. *

It’s ABOAT time I found a FERRY impressive book about sailing, because OH BUOY are we in sore need of REELY good ship books in our lives. I’d LAKE to say I’m in love and leave it at that….buuuuut SCHOONER or later I’ll need to actually get on and write a sensible review.

Let’s carry on before I kill us with puns. ARMADA here. **

* I’m lying. Fish fingers are NOT delicious. All fish is gross and should not be eaten. ** A little contrived? All of it? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT WAS. BOOM.

One of my favourite things has to be the world building!

Which is a big deal for me because usually I find world building hopelessly lacking in YA fantasy. But the aesthetics were awesome, okay?!? Most of the book is set trawling through rivers, and I could just feel the murky depths and the jungles and the wherries catching the right tides as they slink up and down jungle infested rivers. I COULD SEE IT ALL. It was perfect and brilliant. #aesthetic

And to top off the world-building win,it had a unique and interesting magic system AND an intoxicatingly vicious political backstory. I didn’t even get confused or overwhelmed! Details were sparse but pointed. I was HOOKED. *

* Haha okay I promise I’ll stop.

The characters were also buckets of splendour.

I particularly loved our leading lady, Caro. She’s stubborn and feisty and loyal and brave. She’s in love with the water and her boat and when her dad gets thrown into jail for not smuggling something for the royalty? CARO DOES IT. Aka she gets a letter of the marque and becomes a privateer. Caro…my hero. She’s also biracial! And she will stab you in the eye if you insult her ship, which seems fair.

I also loved the romance!

It’s a hate-to-love fest with Caro getting entangled with an important and stuffily vain boy who needs her help. Their banter is EXCEPTIONAL. Mostly because they hate each other. I ship these two onboard their little ship as the most aesthetic of ships. #PetitionToDrownCaitIfSheSaysSHIPOneMoreTime Markos is forever my favourite. He dresses nicely, he has no idea what anything does on a ship (#relatable), and he fiercely loves his family (who aren’t so great but what can you do) and he is badass when he’s finished being vain. Basically: the most insufferable and beautiful boy.

I can’t but help appreciating someone who wears a nice coat before charging into a fight.

The plot was engaging the whole time!

Although all the sea/ship explanations lost me. However it did make the book feel REEL. * I mean, oh look there’s a piece of rope and the ship has a bow and stuff goes boom. But you can also tell the author really knows her ships! And I loved that there was plenty of sailing, sneaking, gunshots, and everyone skulking around like pirates. Which they kind of were, so #nice. Also plenty of FIGHTS and moments of direness.

* Haha you thought I was going to stop punning. HA @ you.

I did guess all the plot twists. So either I read too much or they were a little predictable.

It didn’t really grab me emotionally? But then I am also a Vulcan.

But I just felt SAFE the whole time and I would’ve like to have me timbers shook.

This is definitely a book I thoroughly shout at you to read!

It is a murky stories of rivers and pirates, smugglers and guns, sea gods and monsters. It was beautifully and engagingly writtenwith characters I fell totally in love with! I WANT MORE. I love love looooved the ending.

I adored how much it empowered women and just gave us the badass female sea captains we’ve all been longing for.

I am in oar.

THANK YOU TO BLOOMSBURY FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Song of the Current by Sarah Tolscer is published July, 2017.

★★★★☆

Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. For generations, her family has been called by the river god, who has guided their wherries on countless voyages throughout the Riverlands. At seventeen, Caro has spent years listening to the water, ready to meet her fate. But the river god hasn’t spoken her name yet—and if he hasn’t by now, there’s a chance he never will. Caro decides to take her future into her own hands when her father is arrested for refusing to transport a mysterious crate. By agreeing to deliver it in exchange for his release, Caro finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies, with dangerous pirates after the cargo—an arrogant courier with a secret—and without the river god to help her. With so much at stake, Caro must choose between the life she always wanted and the one she never could have imagined for herself.

do you like books with pirates and/or sea settings?! (please i need more recommendations!) are you going to read Song Of The Current?!? and finally…do you like seafood?

Ohhh, what is this I see? A conglomeration of some EXCEEDINGLY HIGHLY ANTICIPATED book reviews?!

Excellent.

As you know, I read a lot and never have enough blogging room for all my reviews. AKA you should be following me on Goodreads. And considering I mentioned most of these in various “books I’m so desperate for in 2017 I may eat a wall” lists, I thought it’d be nice to review some on the blog and not just on Goodreads!

And also, ahem, because I’m super behind on my physical ARCs so here have some ebook ones while I sob in the corner because what is my TBR. Why is it on top of me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Edelweiss for the e-galley ARCs!

ROYAL BASTARDS

Royal Bastards was one of my TOP most anticipated books this year!Did it live up to it? CAN I GET A HECKIN’ YEAH. There is sass and blood and love/hate friendships. So basically the ultimate Cait-Book.

SMOL LIST OF THINGS I’M OBSESSING OVER:

Sass levels are A+, which is everything I need in a book.

Brother / sister relationship which includes making fun of each other and then saving each other. <3

Huge cast of characters, but they’re all interesting and complex! Tilla is badass and sassy. Jax, her half-brother, is an adorkable darling. Zell is Closed Off And Emotionless™ but secretly a big squish. Miles is a nerdy bookworm. Lyriana is a POC princess who grows plants and slays things epically.

THERE IS EPIC MAGIC.

AND BETRAYAL AND MURDER AND STUFF.

The writing style is actually quite modern. So Tilla literally says “woah that was freaking badass” but it’s still a medieval setting. And I loved it?!? It made the story so relatable and fun.

Much blood. Much death. And I think I got stabbed in the feels. I say “think” bECAUSE I’M STILL IN SHOCK. WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME.

My only dislikes were that it was a bit predictable, there’s a lowkey triangle, and as much FUN as the story was…it did involve a lot of travelling which tends to make me nap.

But still SO SO GOOD. I loooooved the characters and how much nonsense shennanigans and banter went down.

TASH HEARTS TOLSTOY

This was such a cutely great book about internet fame! Of course obviously I read it in order to glean tips so I, too, can get like 50,000 followers over night. Did I get any good tips? HAHAHA HHAHA HAHAHA. No. But the book was still sweet and nerdy, so that saves things. It also features an asexual protagonist! And also a lot of Russian literature which I have no clue about. #Nice

I’m not super into Youtube?? I watch iiSuperwomanii and Liza Koshy and I loved the Lizzie Bennet Diaries! But otherwise, eh. But I still think the book is enjoyable if you’re not a youtube fan.

WHAT I LIKED:

Internet appreciation!

It showed the internet is not ALL loveliness. Hahaha…which we know. A good reminder to be kind online, though!

Friendships are SO SO EXCELLENT.

Tash’s childhood friends are Jack and Paul. Tash and Paul are THE most unrequited deluded and oblivious ship to each other I have ever seen and I shipped them so so hard.

MAYBE IN PARIS

This is the kind of book that makes me SUPER ANGRY.And since literally every review on goodreads (except mine) is 4 or 5 stars, I did want to review it here to bring a bit of awareness: this book has a horrible and derogatory and inaccurate portrayal of Autism. It’s harmful, folks. The entire plot centres around an 18-year-old sister, Kiera, talking her 16-year-old brother to Paris on a holiday…only a FEW WEEKS after he’s had a suicide attempt and been diagnosed with schizophrenia and Autism. Not only is it dangerous to mix something like schizophrenia and ASD together in a book because they are HUGE things and it’s very easy to confuse people about them — the book just used them as a tragic plot device. All the trials and problems in this book came about because of her mentally ill/disabled brother. IT’S INFURIATING AND DEGRADING. Plus the book doesn’t explore either condition, PROBABLY BECAUSE IT DOESN’T HAVE A HECKIN’ CLUE ABOUT EITHER.

It’s a frighteningly ableist book.

And leaving an 18yo who has no idea how to care for a person with a disability with her brother on a trip to Paris??? ARE U DUMB.

OTHER THINGS I COULD NOT FATHOM:

Kiera’s #1 goal is to just find a boy to kiss her.

Any will do.

Literally any.

She literally blows her entire life savings on a trip to Paris to. find. a. romance.

Kiera is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY anti-medication. She spends the whole book talking about how medication ruins people and turns them into drooling mindless zombies. She never retakes this. Also fyi medication can save people’s lives.

It features “professional” doctors who don’t have a cLUE.

Featuring…*drumroll*….

INSTALOVE!

WEIRD WRITING! (Lines like “He’s awkwardly silent, but his eyes are alive…” Wow. The living boy has living eyes. I’m super relieved about this.)

ABLEISM with lines like this: “I wish I could tell everyone “he has Autism or something” but I don’t want to write him off with one word, like he isn’t a full person.”

Because GOD FORBID we think someone with AUTISM could be a WONDERFUL, HAPPY, AND FULFILLED PERSON.

And a climax at the end that just fully centres around saying “people with disabilities are destined to screw things up”.

How about you stop.

WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI

All I can say is that this is one of the CUTEST BOOKS OF EVER.It’s totally nerdy and full of adorkable socially awkward characters and so. much. delicious. food and features the absolute best romance. Plus it’s #ownvoices featuring an almost entire Indian cast! You want it. Okay? You just do.Both Dimple and Rishi are HUGE nerds. Dimple is into coding and computers and Rishi is (in denial though) a huge comic book artist. Like excuse me while they are the perfect pair. Their parents have arranged their marriage and Dimple is 5000% opposed while Rishi is more traditional and is happy to let his parents choose. So it’s a really positive arranged-marriage book and has a LOT of twists and it’s unique and cute and loveable.Plus so so much banter and wit!

Rishi is the so pure, so perfect, so kind. And Dimple is just so relatable and intelligent and skeptical of everything including your face and I love her.

I thoroughly enjoyed it!!Even though some of Dimple’s decisions really riled me at the end and I was #confused #so #much. But SQUISHY HAPPY FEELS. I don’t even know what this happiness feels like. Ugh get it off me. I must return to my darkness.

are you planning to read any of these!?? if you have read them — TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!! do you like modern banter in epic fantasy? and do you like seafood? and do you think reading books about famous internet people should rub off on us??

Spellslinger had a lot of deliciously dark epic explosions, but overall the story felt a teeny bit messy.

Just kind of like none of us really knew what was going on. (Or perhaps this is just me.) But it had some fantastic elements, like outlaws who throw playcards as weapons, talking racoons, spells and mages, magical darkness, and a most preciously self-depreciating narrator who I TOTALLY adored.

But I also felt we were getting a Wild Western-esque story but yet….no?? It was more of an origin story for a pure of heart boy who falls to the dark side. Which I’m HERE FOR. But I expected actual, ya know, slinging. Like gunslinging but with magic.

My feelings overall: misplaced expectations.

I adored Kellen a monstrous amount. He has a dryly witty voice with some quips that totally won the story! He’s self-depreciating and pretty chill about how sucky his life is. Like “Oh I almost died? Right.” He’s nervous and delightfully stupid, but AND ADORABLE AND WINNING. His family are all powerful magicians and his level of magic is: 0%. So he’s angsting over his upcoming 16th birthday when the world ends for him and if he fails his mage tests — boom, servant life.

There’s a smidge of outlaw origin story happening here.Of which I AM A FAN because I love it when sweet precious cinnamon scrolls are forced to the dark side! However, while there are some tricks and cons in here, I wouldn’t actually peg the book as being particularly con artist-y. Just so you know.

There was just so much COOL STUFF going down. It squished together so much epicness that I’m totally onboard for, like:

They do magic by forming patterns with their fingers. #nice

They have tattoos that “spark” different elements, but not just the average ones, they have stuff like breath, iron, blood, ember, etc.

They use PLAYING CARDS to THROW and CUT THINGS. I’m such a fan of weaponised playing cards. Freaking awesome, mate.

Ferius was this epic badass Western-ish woman who had no magic but was so chill and sassy the whole time. Plus she’s the “Mentor” figure BUT A WOMAN. I’M SO PLEASED.

There are talking sassy racoons so basically this book is Guardians of the Galaxy if it ran face first into Harry Potter, got a nosebleed and a concussion, and needed to sit down for a while.

It was all together pretty quirkly written, and I loved that!

I appreciate that it wasn’t scared to smack everyone about. Although I didn’t feel too scared for anyone’s lives, particularly, but there are conspiracies and tortures and people throw around magic spells that kill you from the inside out. It’s all very exciting.

Kellen felt like a Gryffindor trying to be Slytherin. It didn’t…really work for him. It’s like the book was trying reeeally hard to convince me he was super tricky and a cheater and like, when??? When is it actually going to happen?? He’d jump in front of a car to save a puppy. He’s so Gryffindor.

The whole story didn’t feel particularly cohesive. Like there were a LOT of elements, like magicians stealing from older tribes on the land and super old dowager magicians talking in riddles and Fenrius being Wild-West-but-not-Wild-West. And I wasn’t sure what ANYONE wanted to achieve.

World building? Hahhhahhah no. It had none. We get hit with confusing names and that’s IT. Where is my culture?!? Yogurt has more culture. The names were all like Jan’Tep and Ke’heops which was hard enough, but OH, they change names when they become mages. Thanks. I can remember 328 names, I totally can. I so so so didn’t understand the society or the ruling system. I couldn’t even ENVISION the world at all.

Hello unnecessary romance. I wish you weren’t here. The girl is probably there for like 3 collective pages and has NO personality. We just need someone for Kellen to aspire to kiss.

I’m actually really confused about whether it was sexist or not. Like the WORLD was, with women being wispy pretty things with no real power…but then Ferius was completely badass and saved Kellen a million times and told him to get a backbone. But she kept saying “man up” which is…sexist. And I’m just really TIRED of women all having to prove themselves. How come we can imagine worlds with talking racoons but not equality??

I so enjoyed all the magic, throwing deadly playing cards, and the potential decent to the dark side for our darling Kellen.

Kellen’s excellent relatable and witty commentary throughout the story is 100% the reason to read it. I just ultimately felt the world was confusing, underdeveloped, and didn’t really entrance me because I was too busy saying “but why is this like so”.

Definitely enjoyable and I want the sequel! But I also would like cheesecake yogurt more, probably.

THANK YOU TO HOT KEY BOOKS FOR THE ARC. Spellslinger by Sebastian De Castell was published April, 2017.

★★★☆☆

MAGIC IS A CON GAME. Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage’s duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There’s just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi – a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She’s difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen’s only hope…The first in a rich and compelling fantasy series bursting with tricks, traps and a devious talking squirrel cat. Perfect for fans of THE DARK TOWER, FIREFLY, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, BEN AARONOVITCH and JIM BUTCHER.

are you a fan of talking animals in books? do you have a favourite sassy protagonist from another book?? and what do you think of Spellslinger?!? LET ME KNOW!

I always get monstrously pleased when a sequel doesn’t disappoint, and Avenged (Ruined #2) was a GLORIOUS.

Last year, Ruined was one of my top reads for it’s levels of epic sass, cheesebread, and stabbing. And while Avenged does fail with the cheesebread (#heartbroken) it is a fabulous continuation on Em’s story.

I also am such a huge fan of Amy Tintera’s writing style — dry humour, sharp dialogue, and characters who will break your heart. Like, literally break it. Probably pull it out of your chest…BUT OKAY. LET’S MOVE FORWARD. This was quite a bloody sequel (although not gory) and I’m impressed!

NOTE: This is a sequel review but will have NO SPOILERS for this book. May contain very teeny spoilers for book 1, but I’ll be super careful and vague so read on without fear!

The plot of this one is very different to the first.

More meetings and politics and travelling…all things I’m not such a fan of? But at least it’s concise and balances it with epic action scenes where EVERYBODY DIES AND IT’S TERRIFYING. Nice.

Also Em and her nearly freed sister, Olivia, are being co-queens. I can’t even summarise how EXCITING THIS IS. I’ve never read a book with two lethal epic badass sister queens?!??? Now I want 900 more. Immediately. Olivia is pretty terrifying. Like did you blink wrong? SHE’LL PULL YOUR SPINE OUT YOUR NOSE WITH HER POWERS. And while it was bloody, it wasn’t super dark or anything. I think this is the reason it didn’t win me over as hard as book 1? The stakes were high but I just didn’t feel super worried because the main characters got cushioned.

But I am also a horrible person so please excuse me.

I also have to admit I don’t like the cover… It doesn’t even look like the same smudged and tired and forcefully determined Em on the first cover? But the blue is a delicious shade.

There are also 4 narrators this time: Em, Cas, Olivia, and Aren!

EM: I love her so much! She is so wry and sarcastic and diplomatic and sensible. While Olivia is bathing in the blood of her foes, Em is like “ok but could we talk to them first”. Communication levels with Em are A+ WHICH IS SO REFRESHING TO READ.

CAS: MY DARLING CAS CHILD. He gets smacked about a lot in this book and yet he is the sweetest and most precious cinnamon scone. I love reading about sweet boys and lovely kings and Cas is BOTH and he is glorious. And so dryly sardonic too. He gets poisoned and his #1 reaction is “Okay but the poisoned soup at least was delicious.” #BlessHim

OLIVIA: Well, she is a bucket full of psycho. But I loved how the story showed her venerable side too and how she joked with Em and was fiercely loyal and defending of her people. BUT SHE’S SCARY, OK. She loves to kill.

AREN: I was dubious about him having a narrating POV because: why sir. But turns out I love Aren. He is super powerful and yet has a lot of PTSD meltdowns and he was so well written and realistically done that I just <3 <3 <3

GALO & MATEO: They’re Cas’ most trusted guards and also an item and also SO fiercely protective of him. This news just in: Cas is everyone’s cinnamon child.

VIOLET: She’s a new addition and she’s such a delightful contrast to the epic badass Ruined warriors. She’s kind and thoughtful and highly capable with weapons and lovely.

JOVITA:Cas’ cousin makes a play for the throne and tries to declare him insane/poison him…she’s been watching too much Game of Thrones. ALSO I WANT TO FRY HER INTO SOUP.

It’s dialogue centric. And the dialogue is crisp and often witty!

The humour is pretty modern. Which I adoooooore. Sure it’s not like medieval-style, but the jabs and jokes are the best so, hi. I’m a fan.

Pacing is fabulous. Because we’re not left with chapters of info dumps!

I never even felt the need to wander off and take a sandwich because 500% engaged THE WHOLE TIME. Which is surreal because I love sandwiches.

because I love

The characters are never what you expect. Because they’re…like original and unique?!

Cas throws a “woe is me everyone hates me” pity party and his guard smacks him in the head. #Friendship

Cas tho. Too precious for this world.

It balances war and strife between 3 different countries. And they all felt different and well developed!

So. much. shipping. Cas and Em are still pretty dysfunctional, but they don’t have ANGST tantrums and I love love love that. They are in mild denial of their feelings, but that’s brief and I just want to hug the book for not being overly dramatic. They need to sail. THEY NEED TO. I want them to dryly sass each other to death. Or a happily ever after. Whatever comes first.

Avenged was definitely a bucket of engaging epicness with a sidedish of psychotic lollipops.

The best combination.

I don’t think it was quite as good as the first book, but still absolutely amazing and I swallowed it whole. This is the kind of YA fantasy I want to read! Complex characters, interesting worlds, wit and sarcasm, and people with magical powers that can rip the world to pieces. Lovely. I WANT MORE.

THANK YOU TO ALLEN & UNWIN FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Avenged (Ruined #2) by Amy Tintera was published May, 2017.

★★★★☆

A war that will fuel her. A bond that will destroy her. Emelina Flores has come home to Ruina. After rescuing her sister Olivia from imprisonment in rival kingdom Lera, Em and Olivia together have devised a plan that will rebuild Ruina to its former glory. But just because Em and Olivia are out of Lera doesn’t mean they are safe. Their actions over the past year have had consequences, and they are now targets of retaliation. Olivia will destroy everyone who acts against Ruina, but Em isn’t as sure. Ever since Em posed as Prince Casimir’s betrothed in Lera, she’s started to see another side to this war. Lera may have destroyed the Ruined for decades, but Em knows that Cas is different. And now that he’s taken the throne, Em believes a truce is within reach. But Olivia suspects that Em’s romantic feelings for Cas are just colouring her judgement. Em is determined to bring peace to her home. But when winning the war could mean betraying her family, Em faces an impossible choice between loyalty and love. Em must stay one step ahead of her enemies–and her blood–before she’s the next victim in this battle for sovereignty.

i think Amy Tintera is TOTALLY underrated…so tell me about a favourite underrated author of yours?!? and have you read Ruined or Avenged? do they snabble your interest?

I’m so excited to be part of The Crown’s Fate blog tour today!

In case you have been reading my blog with only half an eyeball, hi, let me introduce myself: I LOVE RUSSIAN FANTASY. So I was ecstatically in love with The Crown’s Game last year, and I’m so so excited to be on the tour for the sequel too. Usually I’m a bit terrified of sequels, but this one did not disappoint and absolutely ALL THE STARS for this darkly magical Russian fantasy masterpiece.

There’s also an INT giveaway at the end of this post! Which is enormously exciting.

And NOTE: there may be mild spoilers for the first book…but NO spoilers for this book. So if you haven’t read this one yet, you’re safe!!

★★★★★

The gorgeous and darkly compelling sequel to The Crown’s Game—perfect for fans of Red Queen and Shadow and Bone. Magic is growing, shadows are rising, and the throne is at stake… Russia is on the brink of great change. Pasha’s coronation approaches, and Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter, but the role she once coveted may be more difficult—and dangerous—than she ever expected. Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him, and he believes his best friend is dead. When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom. For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply. Although he just managed to escape death, Nikolai remains alone, a shadow hidden in a not-quite-real world of his own creation. But when he’s given a second chance at life—tied to a dark price—Nikolai must decide just how far he’s willing to go to return to the world. With revolution on the rise, dangerous new magic rearing up, and a tsardom up for the taking, Vika, Nikolai, and Pasha must fight—or face the destruction of not only their world but also themselves.

Evelyn Skyewas once offered a job by the C.I.A., she not-so-secretly wishes she was on “So You Think You Can Dance,” and if you challenge her to a pizza-eating contest, she guarantees she will win.

When she isn’t writing, Evelyn can be found chasing her daughter on the playground or sitting on the couch, immersed in a good book and eating way too many cookies. THE CROWN’S GAME is her first novel. Evelyn can be found online at www.evelynskye.com and on Twitter @EvelynSkyeYA.

The Crown’s Fate is marvellously exquisite and absolutely everything I was hoping for in a finale!

Although I lowkey admit I didn’t want it to be the finale! If there are more books in Vika, Pasha, and Nikolai’s world I would be totally on board for that. I might even pass bribes of cake, let’s be real here. You know a book is excellent when the world so so captivates you with its breathtaking descriptions and complexities that you want INFINITELY MORE OF IT. And I love how it mixes historical-Russia with a dash of magic that just makes everything all the more special. Because every book should have magic in it. #fact

One thing I particularly enjoyed about this sequel is that it’s a lot darker than the first book. Erm, yes, cue that moment where you think, “OKAY, CAIT YOU’RE A LITTLE SCARY.” And it’s true. I am. But honestly. I am here to be chilled a little! We have shadow realms and darker magic and DEATH, with the return of sinister powers and with Nikolai frolicking in the dark side. I love him 5000% more now.

And you know how sequels sometimes fall into a bunch of awkward cliches? NOT SO HERE. It basically had THE LIST of things a sequel should be. Shh shhh, sit tight, let me give you a list.

Plenty of character development. Like they’re ALL reeling from the heart-wrenching finale of book one, and the effects are soooo palpable I JUST MIGHT HAVE AN EMOTION.

Deepens the magic system. We get to see MORE of what the magicians can do, and since they were pretty dang spectacular the first time round, this is THE BEST.

There is food. AKA Vika makes an edible Christmas tree and I think this is why I love her.

Higher stakes. Which means you’re going to experience pain.

Death.HAAAA HAHA MWHAHAH HA. I’LL SAY NO MORE.

Girl power. Like SERIOUS girl power. Vika is #Fabulousness personified, and Yuliana (Pasha’s sister) just slays with her ability to run a kingdom because Pasha is adorable and I love him but he’s also as useful as a grape.

Better than the first! And I loved the first a lot, so this is saying something. All the AND ADORATION.

And excuse me while I take another moment for foodie appreciation.

Look, I’m not try to tell you how to live your life, but if your epic fantasy doesn’t have gobs and gobs of delicious foodie descriptions, WHAT IS IT DOING. The Crown’s Fate RULES for the foodie levels.

Plus it offers quality life advice like so:

GOD BLESS AND AMEN.

And while it is about love, it’s also about friendship and family.

Which is my favourite thing in books. I can’t be more happy with how it all worked out and like AGH MY POOR BROKEN CHILDREN. <3 I loved getting to see Pasha and Nikolai interact as brothers now. Although, let’s be real: they took sibling rivalry to the next level. AH HOW I LOVE THEM.

Is it possible to flail enough over this book?!?

I THINK NOT. It perfectly balanced gorgeous writing, a rich and imaginative Russia, with characters I care SO SO much about!! The plot was fast-paced and rich with intrigue and twists. It’s definitely a highlight of my year so far (and this is coming from someone who’s read 100 books so far!) and basically Evelyn Skye is an auto-buy author for me now. The Crown’s Fate is absolutely darkly magical, beautiful, and total perfection.

okay tell me about a sequel which you loved more than the first book?!? and do you like Russian fantasy? have you/will you read this epic duology?! LET ME KNOW ALL IN THE COMMENTS!

Red Sister was a marvellous conglomeration of all that is stabby, bloody, and nunnery.

How is that for an introduction, eh?!? This was just such completely a Cait Book™ that I’m so happy I had the opportunity to read it!! I will note though that this is an adult epic fantasy, and I generally review YA here, so juuuust so you know. But I’ve been reading much more adult fantasy lately and I LOVE IT. * My smol villainous heart is pleased.

This is by the same author as Prince of Thorns (which I adored!) so I do admit I thought Red Sister was going to be darker than it was. I’ll try not to be…disappointed so you can maintain the illusion that I am a well-adjusted and normal young human creature who doesn’t delight in dark epic fantasy. *

* There’s surprisingly less romance in adult epic fantasy. So more romance + more stabbing = why wasn’t I reading more of this sooner. ** Which is, obviously, a complete lie. I live for dark epic fantasy.

CHECKLIST OF ALL THE AWESOME RED SISTER CONTAINS

assassin nuns who have no chill

will smite the patriarchy if needed and have 0% regrets

trains young girls to be warriors, with and without blades

also features 90% female characters

SO MANY FEMALE CHARACTERS IT’S JUST AMAZING AND EXCEPTIONAL AND I’M SO PLEASED

also female friendships! There is competition, but there is more banding together and strengthening each other!

also stabbing

dark inner monsters

literal inner monsters, okay

complicated and intriguing magic systems

#more #stabbing

smol girls with knives

poison

betrayal

a protagonist who believes: food > everything else

I really adored reading from Nona’s perspective.

She starts off the book quite young, so the story grows up with her as she rises through the ranks of the nuns. She’s badass but also quiet and easily embarrassed. My only quibble is that Nona seemed to be forced into all the action of her tale. She rarely instigated anything, so it seemed like the plot always propelled her instead of the other way around. Buuuuut, she was stubborn and feisty when needed and SO LOYAL. I swear she’s a stabbtastic Hufflepuff.

The story is all about weapon training and schools. I really enjoyed the beginning as Nona got introduced into the nuns and caught up in accidentally helping the head nun rearrange the power system. #nice But the interesting subplots didn’t kick in until like 60%. I would’ve liked to see less geography lessons and more action. I also missed the sass that was so prevalent in Prince of Thorns!! I really expected a spicy and darkly wickedly humorous novel and…not so much. Not a fault particularly! Just my misguided expectations.

The magic system was COMPLEXLY EPIC. I love how there are ancient magic people and the girls in the nunnery would be descendants of them with various magical strengths. I would’ve liked more detail about “the Path” though. Like still no clue what was going on there. I entirely plan to reread before book 2.

SMALL LIST OF QUIBBLES

it was pretty slow

lack of sass

lots of characters and I was a little fuddled (but then I don’t even remember my own nieces’ names so…take that as you will)

not nearly as dark as I’d hoped it was going to be! the end was plenty badass but I wish there’d been less lessons and soooo much more action

Red Sister is a powerful series starter of badass nuns with knives and magic!

I adored the epic and destructive ending and I’m so intrigued about Nona’s monstrous side. I’m also keen to find out what happens next!! And the twist on the Chosen One trope was very nice. Basically, please be cautious of nuns, they do not like to be messed with. And I’m forever pleased that a book that focuses SO MUCH on Girl Power exists!!

THANK YOU TO HARPER VOYAGER AND THE AUTHOR FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Red Sister by Mark Lawrence is published April, 2017.

★★★★☆

I was born for killing – the gods made me to ruin. At the Convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy hones its novices’ skills to deadly effect: it takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist. But even the mistresses of sword and shadow don’t truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is brought to their halls as a bloodstained child of eight, falsely accused of murder: guilty of worse. Stolen from the shadow of the noose, Nona is sought by powerful enemies, and for good reason. Despite the security and isolation of the convent her secret and violent past will find her out. Beneath a dying sun that shines upon a crumbling empire, Nona Grey must come to terms with her demons and learn to become a deadly assassin if she is to survive…

do you read adult epic fantasy??? do you like assassin stories?! let me know your favourite assassin recommendations in the comments! (i’ve read Throne of Glass haha) and do you think you’ll try Red Sister??

This might come as a shock, but dragons are actually my favourite.

It’s probably something to do with my Slytherin soul, my tendency to hoard shiny things, and my predisposition to eat annoying people. So if you say “this book has dragons in it”, I’ll be reading it. IMMEDIATELY.

I thought it’d be fun to do a mini review collection of just dragonish books I’ve read recently. And there’s been a nice unusual amount published this year! So, thank you 2017, for providing us with dragons. There has been a dragon-drought.

Thank you to Bloomsbury AUS and Netgalley for the review copies!

And also I bought one because #DragonAddiction.

THE DRAGON WITH THE CHOCOLATE HEART

This book is actually the CUTEST thing. I mean it’s about (a) dragons and (b) chocolate — aka my two favourite things. Obviously I was going to love it. It was cute and sassy, and reminded me of Ramona Quimby…with dragons. Plus chocolate. DID I MENTION THE ENTIRE BOOK IS CENTRED AROUND CHOCOLATE. It’s a middle grade, so not my usual fare, but I still loved it!

(This book is basically what would happen if Willy Wonka and I co-wrote a novel.)

OTHER THINGS TO LOVE:

Aventurine was a very winning protagonist! I mean, she loses her ability to be a dragon because she gets sucked into a trap via chocolate. That would be me.

Her passion is CHOCOLATE.

It’s set in a chocolate shop!!

You will die of hunger reading this.

Aventurine is also like a naive little feral dragon human-child who considers biting people when they annoy her. #Relatable

Aventurine has an epic friend who is like a 12-year-old bourgeoning business woman. Will work for chocolate.

I will work for chocolate, tbh.

It maybe lagged a little in the middle, but overall it left me with a warm happy fuzzy feeling.And also very near starvation. Basically toss that vegetable sandwich you’re eating right now, get some chocolate, and eat this book.

HEARTSTONE

I have a bit of love/hate for this one.Because, like DRAGONS. They did them so well! There’s dragon riders who slay evil dark monsters of the forests and the dragons talk and are kind of vain. #lovely But the story was soooo slooooooow and the protagonist, Aliza had about as much personality as a bucket.

It’s basically a Pride and Prejudice retelling + dragons. Genius, yes?! Although I haven’t actually read P&P because I’d rather throw myself into the void, but I do love the Lizzie Bennet Diaries youtube vlogs! So I think I followed the gist of the original tale alright?? It was an entertaining and creative retelling. And I LOVED how there were women dragon riders/warriors. However Aliza…yeah…no. You know that song “there’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza, there’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, todayyyyyy”. Heard of it? Please? I hope so? MOVING FORWARD: Aliza is the bucket and her personality fell out through the hole. She’s so passive it was boring. However she WASN’T waiting for a man to make her life interesting — so applause. And she was a woman of colour, so yay for diversity!

The romance was so dumb it was hilarious. Actual transcript of how it went down:

Daired: Okay don’t look at her.Daired: Don’t speak to her except to pass the potatoes.Daired: Let her paint your dragon tho.Daired: BUT DON’T MAKE EYE CONTACT!!Daired: Erm, hello Aliza! So will you marry me? I’ve been in love with you for months.Aliza: what even???? no?????

I mean, I laughed. I’m not sure I should have. But they had ZERO CHEMISTRY OR FRIENDSHIP BEFORE HE PROPOSED AND I JUST??? It did get better though. And Daired was kind of adorably awkward.

OTHER THINGS TO NOTE:

monster slaying!!!!

dragon fights!!

people nearly die all over the the place

the middle is so boring I actually nearly died

Aliza is a potato

Even if there’s dragons, I realise I still fail to be fully engaged by period dramas.

THE FALL OF THE DRAGON PRINCE

This was such a puddle of disappointment. I picked up solely for the dragonish title, but it was SO STINKIN’ SEXIST it spoiled the entire book. Also there was next-to-no world building which made the whole book so SO confusing. Basically so many cliches. Think of the most generic fantasy story ever (oh a king’s wife has a baby in secret!! and she dies!! and the son will fulfil a prophecy!! but only if he’s hidden his whole life!!!) and boom. We gotcha. Also this king has 5 children by 5 wives and has hidden them in 5 different places FOR NO REAL REASON except probably because he was thinking, “LOL @ YOU WORLD! THIS IS AN EPIC GAME OF HIDE ‘N’ SEEK!”

It’s also been shelved as YA but it’s adult. Terith is about 26 but as mature as a 10 year old boy. So.

OTHER REASONS I AM DISGRUNTLED:

super long and wordy

ergo boring for me

one of the types of dragons are “fruit dragons” and which made me think of the actual thing called dragon fruit so are they riding a fruit salad???

everyone is either SUPER BAD or SUPER GOOD because I apparently know nothing as a reader

love triangle where I’m supposed to believe Terith loves two girls and equally

yet I DO NOT BELIEVE SO

the entire PREMISE is a dragon race and the winner gets to pick any women he wants to marry…

THE DRAGON’S PRICE

This one is about killing dragons and kissing. Which is a huge no from me. It’s also slowly dying from many fantasy cliches and a serious dose of problematic racism that kind of had me blinking in shock that I’ve not heard this book called out across the book blogging community. Like, at all???

We have a problem.

BRIEF LIST OF HORRORS:

Sorrowlyn is called “headstrong, fiery, and rebellious” by all…except all she does is cry and wait for a boy to save her.

Her #1 asset is her virginity. Can we…not.

Pretty white Sorrowlyn is being forced to marry someone in the horse lord tribes and they’re described as dark skinned and “savage/barbaric”…not to mention using food to describe their skin tone. And this line is ACTUALLY IN THE BOOK: “barbarian warrior or not, that he is the kindest man I have ever met.”

Well no no no no.

Dragon slaying = no.

Instalove romance.

Princess Sorrowlyn needs (a) rescuing, (b) can become a magical great warrior with no training, (c) is “ugly” because she has “brown hair”, (d) is a super Special Snowflake Magical Virgin™, (e) is super racist, and yet (d) tons of people love her for no reason at all.

The plot is just walking.

Look at me over there just napping.

The fantasy world is SO SEXIST. Because we can have dragons, but God forbid a lady kiss a man first. No no, corsets and submission.

#NOPE

do you like dragons?!? (the correct answer is “YES” btw) and can you recommend me any excellent dragon books?! (I’ve read Seraphina and Game of Thrones already!) have you read any of these?? TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!